The Way of the Dhin by John L. Clemmer

October 08, 2017Nancy

Reviewed by Lisa Brown-Gilbert

Posing an intellectual convergence of science fiction, fact and possibilities, John L Clemmer’s The Way of The Dhin delivers with its futuristic tale of A.I. sovereignty, alien contact and the mystery of the technology they left behind.

During a time of revelation and turmoil on earth with A.I. grown to the point of hive mind singularity, governing much of what humans once managed for themselves. By virtue of their governance the need for manual labor was significantly reduced with A.I. providing everything for their human charges; food, water, shelter, power and transportation, making life easy for humans to basically exist. However, hot spots of rebellion surged, as many humans did not completely trust A.I. intentions and sought to somehow overthrow their advanced existence.

Additionally, first contact with a mysterious alien race, the Dhin, transpires. The Dhin leave in their suddenly departed wake, a seeming gift of technological wonder, but because of unsuccessful communications with humans obtaining instructions for the device’s use, was a daunting and convoluted task as the technology defied all known laws and logic of of physics on earth.

Thusly, the gift of the wondrous Dhin technology leaves various factions on earth vying for control, proper understanding and use of the Dhin engine, each having their own agendas for potential applications of the little understood engine. While some sought to weaponize the engine, others looked to use it to help humanity.
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Well worth the read, The Way of the Dhin presents a cleverly rendered narrative that I found thoroughly enjoyable. Author John L. Clemmer, employs a genuinely rich style of storytelling that comes across as articulate, inventive and altogether readable. The story, while steadily paced, presented
an appealing complexity of enigmatic plot lines that successfully and sensibly intersected, which wholly made it easy to stay actively engaged throughout the book. In particular, I enjoyed the way the story alternated between the differing perspectives as events unfold within the story; the reader essentially becomes privy to the machinations at hand within each faction. I especially enjoyed the interludes with the artificial intelligence. He also artfully applied a perspective to the drones, which I found completely fascinating. Overall, this was an entertaining story that left the mind reeling with questions about humanity’s future, particularly, when it comes to the advancement of artificial intelligence, which for me made this a notable read.